Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 119-110 win over Cleveland Cavaliers
All eyes on Giannis
As is regularly the case, superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to victory with a performance that’s been the standard for his 2019-20 season so far.
Playing 32 minutes for the night, Antetokounmpo put up 33 points on 26 shots (2-for-8 from deep, 3-for-4 from the free throw line), 12 rebounds, three turnovers, two assists, two steals, and two blocks, and was a +10 when on the floor.
It was an outing that didn’t ultimately fit Antetokounmpo’s lofty superstar standards and the 24-year-old certainly picked his spots of when to attack and when to settle from range. But his sheer will and determination often powered and propelled him towards the basket and Antetokounmpo showed off a couple of never-before-seen tricks, such as a semi-skyhook shot he got to fall at the 2:44 mark in the fourth quarter.
The one bit of mystery left in the aftermath of Antetokounmpo’s outing centers around his right ankle, which he rolled midway through the second quarter and prompted head coach Mike Budenholzer to call a quick timeout. Antetokounmpo was back out on the floor coming out of the timeout and showed no signs of struggle or residual effects in what remained of the game from that point on.
But as Eric Nehm of The Athletic noted after the game, Antetokounmpo’s ankle was wrapped and the incident only brought up questions over whether we’ll see the reigning MVP take a night off to get some rest ahead of Saturday night’s tilt versus the Charlotte Hornets.
After the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a light wrap on his right ankle under his sock.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) November 30, 2019
He rolled it in the second quarter when he stepped on Alfonzo McKinnie's foot, but he obviously played the rest of the game.
Time will tell if that ends up being the case, but we’ll monitor Antetokounmpo’s status closely, especially with it being the second night of a back-to-back.